Steel car.



No. 807,902. v PATENTED DEC. 19, 1905. A. B. BELLOWS. I

STEEL GAR.

- APPLIOATION FILED JULY 29, 1902.

4 SHEETS-SHEET 1.

N 807.902. PATENTED DEC. 19, 1905.

O A. B. BELLOWS.

STEEL GAR.

APPLICATION FILED JULY 29, 1902.

4 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

INVENTOR WITNEQSEQ No. 807,902. PATENTED DEC. 19; 1905.

A. B. BBLLOWS.

STEEL GAR.

APPLICATION FILED JULY 29, 1902.

4 SHEETS-SHEET 3.

WITNESSES INVENTOR w M.MW

No. 807,902. PATENTED DEO.19,1905.

A. B. BELLOWS. STEEL GAR.

APPLICATION FILED JULY 29, 1902.

4 SHEETS-SHEET 4.

WITNESSES INVENTOR i lw n/ [I W x JWMWAM MW( W UNITED STATES PATENT oFFIoE.

STEEL CAR.

No. so 7,902.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Dec. 19, 1905.

Application filed July 29, 1902. Serial No. 117.461.

To all whom it may concern;

Be it known that I, ARTHUR B. BELLOWS, ofIittsbui-g, Allegheny county,Pennsylvania, have invented a new and useful Steel (Jar, of which the following is a full, clear, and exact description, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, forming part of this specification, in which Figure 1 is a vertical longitudinal section of a steel gondola car constructed in accordance with my invention. Fig. 2 is a top plan view of the same. Fig. 3 is a cross-section on a larger scale, the left-hand portion being taken through the hopper and the right-hand portion through the center of the car. Figs. 4 and 5 are detail cross-sections showing modi fied forms of the side construction, and Figs. 6 and 7 are detail views showing other forms of the cross-sill.

My invention relates to the class of steel cars and is designed to improve the structure of such cars and reduce their weight without decreasing their strength.

The invention consists in severing the cen ter sill at some point or points between the bolsters and in connecting its ends at these joints with the sides of the car by means of cross floor-beams.

It further consists in using a plate-girder side which may be strengthened between the bolsters by adding a reinforcing member or members along the top or bottom, or both, of this plate-girder, these strengthening members being preferably in the form of flanged shapes or bars, or both.

It further consists of certain details of construction, as hereinafter more fully described, and set forth in the claims.

Referring to the accompanying drawings, 2 2 are the plate-girder sides of a gondola car, these sides having external stiffening members 3. These strengthening members are preferably in the form of angles, though they may be of any desirable shape, whether rolled or pressed.

I have shown the car as having a floor 4, provided with hoppers 5 on opposite sides of the center of the car. Four of these hoppers are employed, arranged in pairs on each side of the center sill, and I show each hopper as provided with swinging doors 6, which are operated by cross-beams 7 which in the central axis of the car are provided with rollers 8, engaged by'theloop 9 of a chain or flexible connection 10, which extends over a roller 11,

mounted between the center sills, and to a shaft 12, which projects to the side of the car and is provided with a wrench portion.

The center sill is shown as consisting of two channels 13, each cut into separate members, these members extending from the end of the car to a cross sill or floor beam 14, which is connected at its outer ends by means of connecting angles or bent plates 15 to a vertical plate 16, secured to the outer face of the side. The vertical stifl'ener 3 at this point is bent outwardly slightly to rest against the outer face of this plate, as shown in Fig. 3. -The inner ends of the center-sill members are secured to the central cross-sill by pairs of angles 15, and I preferably provide short channel-sections 18 between the two channel members of the cross-sill and in line with the center-sill members, these short sections being also secured to the cross-sill by angles 17, as shown in Figs. 1, 2, and 3. These short center-sill sections assist in transmitting the buffing strains from one end of the car to the other and prevent bending of the cross-sill. A cover-plate 19 is preferably employed over the two members of the cross-beam 14, this plate extending between the car sides. This plate forms a part of the floor and strengthens the cross-beam. The center-sill members are preferably strengthened by angles 13, secured to their inner faces opposite to their lower flanges. These angles preferably extend from near the bolsters to near the crosssill and may be of any desired form. By cutting the center sill at one or more points between the bolsters and connecting the sill members at these points to the sides I thereby carry these out ends of the center sills from the sides of the car and enable the sides to support the portion of the load which is brought upon the side sills between the bolsters. I thereby decrease the length of the beam consisting of the center sill between the bolsters and reduce the amount of dead-weight, since less metal is necessary in the sides than in the center sill to give the same strength.

At the top of each side I rivet an angle 20, the vertical flange of which extends along the inside of the plate-girder, and to increase the strength of this girder I supply another strengthening member at this point. I have shown this additional member as consisting of an external angle 21 with its vertical flange opposite to the vertical flange of the angle 20, so that the same rivets extend through both; but it will be understood that this added member may be of other forms and may be secured in other ways than that shown. The upper angle 20 extends throughout the carbody, While the strengthening-angle 21 extends only from bolster to bolster.

At the bottom of each side I rivet an inner supporting-angle 22, to which the floor-plates are secured, and to strengthen the sides along this portion I secure above the horizontal flange of the angle and preferably above the floor-plate a longitudinal bar or plate 23, which is secured by the same rivets which fasten the floor-plate to the angle and extends between the bolsters. I have shown this added lower strengthening member as being at or near the floor-level; but it will be understood that its form may-be varied and it may be secured to the lower edge of a plate-girder which extends down to a level beneath the floor-level of the car.

The side stakes or stiffening members 3 are shown as extending below the floor and connected to cross-sills 2A, which extend to and are secured to the center sill except at the points where the hoppers are located. At the latter point the lower ends of the side stake are connected to bent plates or shapes 25, having upper flanges which are secured to the car-body, preferably by rivets extending through the angles 22.

The shafts 12 are provided with the usual pawl-and-ratchet device 26.

In Fig. 4 I show a modified form of the side wherein the plate-girder side 2' is provided with an upper angle 20 and also with a strengthening member 21, which consists of an additional angle extending from bolster to bolster. In this form I show the floorplates I as being flanged down at 27 for securing to the sides the lower angle 22, which extends the entire length of the car, being secured to the lower edge of the plate-girder side below the floor-level. The strengthening member 23, which extends at this level between the bolster-points, is here shown as in the form of another angle or flanged shape.

In the form of Fig. 5 the upper strengthening member is shown as consisting of a small channel having its web secured to the side, with its flanges projecting outwardly, this member extending from end to end of the car. In this form I show the added strengthening member 23 at the lower edge of the plate-girder as consisting of an angle extending between the bolster points, with one flange projecting outwardly. These strengthening members may be of many different forms, whether consisting of rolled shapes or bent plates or bars, and may be secured in any desirable manner.

In Fig. 6 I show the crosssill as having strengthening angles 28 secured to the lower part of its channel members, and in Fig. 7 I show it as having a lower strengthening member consisting of a cover-plate 29, similar to the upper cover-plate 19.

The advantages of my invention result from the severing of the center sill between the bolsters and supporting these severed ends from the sides of the car. These out ends may be either supported from a plate-girder side, as shown, or may be supported from side sills when used. The point or points of severing may also be widely varied, and I have found that by adopting this construction a considerable decrease in the weight of the car may be obtained without reducing its strength or capacity. The use of the additional strengthening members along the upper or lower portion, or both, of the plate-girder side is of advantage in increasing the strength and distributing the metal'where most needed.

The features of my invention as described and claimed may be applied to gondola cars without hopper-bottoms and also to hoppercars and other cars, such as flat cars, and many variations may be made in the form and arrangement of the parts without departing from my invention.

1. A car having a center sill which extends from bolster to bolster and is divided at a point between the bolsters, connections between the inner ends of the divided sill members and the sides of the car, said connections being at the same level as the sill, and a sill-section extending longitudinally between said connections; substantially as described.

2. A car having a cross-sill between the bolsters, and longitudinal center-sill members at the same level as the cross-sill and extending from bolster to bolster and having their ends secured to said cross-sill and a center-sill section between the members of the cross-sill; substantially as described.

3. A steel car having plate-girder sides, an intermediate longitudinal sill. which is transversely divided between the bolsters, connections between the inner ends of the longitudinal-sill members and the plate-girder sides, said connections being at the same level as the longitudinal sills and a longitudinal-sill section located between the connections; substantially as described.

4. A steel car having a cross-sill between the bolsters, said cross-sill consisting of separate flanged members, a transversely-divided center sill having its inner ends connected to the cross-sill which extends between them, a center-sill section between the separate members of the cross-sill and car sides connected to the cross-sill; substantially as described.

5. A steel car having plate-girder sides and a longitudinal center sill composed of two separated flanged members, each member being transversely divided between the bolsterpoints, an intermediate center-sill section and supporting connections between the inner ends of the sill members and the sides of the car, said connections extending between the inner ends of the longitudinal-sill member; substantially as described.

6. A car having a cross-sill composed of two separate flanged members, a cover-plate extending over said members, and a transverselydivided center sill having its inner ends secured to the cross-sill, said cross-sillbeing supported at its outer ends on the car sides; substantially as described.

7. A steel car havinga plate-girder side with two strengthening members extending along its lower part, one of said members being flanged and extending throughout the car, and the other extending through the intermediate portion of the car and terminating adjacent to the bolsters; substantially as described.

8. A steel car having a plate-girder side, said side having a plurality of strengthening members secured alongits lower portion, one of said members extending between and terminating adjacent to the bolsters, and the other extending throughout the car-body; substantially as described.

9. A steel car having a plate-girder side extending beyond the bolsters, and a plurality of strengthening members secured to and ex- .tending along the top of said side, one of said members being shorter than the length of the side and terminating at its ends adjacent to the bolsters, and both of said members extending in parallelism throughout theirlength; substantially as described.

10. A steel car having a plate-girder side, extending beyond the bolsters, and a strengthening member secured to and extending along the top portion of the said side, said member being shorter than the side and terminating adjacent to the bolsters and extending parallel with the floor-frame throughout its length; substantially as described.

11. A steel car having a plate-girder side, extending beyond the bolsters, with strengthening members extending along both the upper and lower portions of said side, at least one of said strengthening members being shorter than the side and terminating adjacent to the bolsters and extending parallel With the floor-frame throughout its length; substantially as described.

12. A steel car having a plate-girder side extending beyond the bolsters and provided With a flanged strengthening member which extends between the bolsters and terminates as points adjacent thereto, said member being parallel with the floor-frame throughout its length; substantially as described.

13. A steel gondola car having a horizontal main floor formed of steel plates, depending hoppers in the floor with inclined sides sloping endwise of the car, plate-girder sides which terminate substantially at the floor-level, and marginal flanges at the edge of the floor riveted directly to the lower edges of the plategirder sides; substantially as described.

1 1. A steel gondola car having a horizontal main floor formed of steel plates and containing a plurality of depending hoppers with inclined sides sloping endwise of the car, and plate-girder sides terminating substantially at the floor-level, said sides having upper and lower marginal flanges, the steel floor-plates being secured directly to the flanges along the lower edges of the sides; substantially as described.

15. A steel gondola car having a horizontal main floor formed of steel plates and containing a plurality of depending hoppers with inclined sides sloping endwise of thecar, plategirder sides terminating substantially at the floor-level, and upper and lower flanged sections securedalong the upper and lower edges of the sides, the floor-plates being secured directly to the lower flanged sections; substantially as described.

16. A steel gondola car having a flanged shape secured along the lower portion of the side with an inwardly-projecting flange, and a hopper-plate having a horizontal flange secured to said shape; substantially as described.

17. A steel gondola car having a flanged shape secured along the lower portion of the side with an inwardly-projecting flange, and a hopper-plate having a flange secured to the inwardly-projecting flange of said shape; substantially as described.

18. A hopper-bottom gondola car having plate-girder sides with strengthening members, the lower ends of some of said members being secured to side flanged plates connected to the car-floor; substantially as described.

19. A car having a continuous cross floor beam or sill between the bolsters, and consisting of a plurality of flanged shapes and separate longitudinal reinforcing members secured to said shapes; substantially as described.

20. A steel car having a cross-sill between the bolsters and consisting of a plurality of flanged shapes, a transverse cover-plate extending over the shapes, and a separate strengthening member secured to the lower portion of said sill; substantially as described.

21. A steel car having a transversely-divided intermediate longitudinal sill, a cross-sill supporting the inner ends of the longitudinal sill, and longitudinal strengthening members secured to the longitudinal sill, and extending from near the bolsters to near the car center; substantially as described.

22. A steel car having an intermediate longitudinal sill at all parts on the same level extending horizontally from bolster to bolster and transversely divided at the car center, the 7 divided ends being supported from the side structure; substantially as described.

23. In a car, the combination of sides, an intermediate cross-beam connected to the sides, and an intermediate longitudinal beam or sill extending from bolster to bolster and transversely divided, the divided ends being separated longitudinally and supported by the cross-beam; substantially as described.

24:. A car having an intermediate longitudinal beam or sill extending from bolster to bolster and transversely divided at an intermediate portion thereof, the divided ends of the beam being separated longitudinally and supported from the side structure; substantially as described.

25. Asteel car, havingaplate-girder side extending beyond the bolster, and two strengthening members secured to and extending along the top of said side, one of said members being shorter than the length of the side and terminating at its ends adjacent to the bolsters, and the other of said members extending substantially the full length of the side, both of said members extending in parallelism throughout their length; substantially as described.

26. A steel car having a plate-girder side, extending beyond the bolsters, a strengthening member secured to and extending along the top portion of the said side, said member being shorter than the side and terminating adjacent to the bolsters, and asecond strengthening member also secured to the top portion of said side and extending substantially the full length of the side, said strengthening members being parallel With the floor-frame throughout their length; substantially as described.

27. A car having an intermediate longitudinal beam or sill extending from bolster to bolster and transversely divided at the center of the car, the divided ends of the beam being supported from the side structure; substantially as described.

In testimony whereof I have hereunto set my hand.

ARTHUR B. BELLOWS. Witnesses:

L. M. REDHAN, H. M. OORWIN. 

